Greetings from the Dean's Office!
Happy Holidays to the entire Wilkinson College community! As 2021 winds down, we have reason to celebrate the overwhelming success of this year’s Engaging the World: Leading the Conversation on Environmental Justice series and our safe return to campus. Planning is already underway for Parents Summit in February, so make your travel plans! This issue of We Are Wilkinson contains some amazing stories of ways our alumni and faculty are moving the needle on social justice, once again demonstrating why our college is the heart and soul of Chapman University.
If you would like to share a story for an upcoming newsletter,
please contact wilkinsoncollege@chapman.edu.
Pictured Above: Dean Jennifer D. Keene presents Katherine Perez (’06, Spanish and Psychology) with the 2020 Distinguished Alumni Award at Homecoming. Katherine is the inaugural Director of Loyola Law School’s Coelho Center for Disability Law, Policy, and Innovation. Perez was nominated by Dr. Art Blaser, Professor of Political Science and Peace Studies, pictured on the left with Ollie.
Alum Taylor Hein: Disability Rights Change-Maker
Taylor Hein (‘21, English; Disability Studies and Holocaust History) recently received a law fellowship with The Coelho Center for Disability Law, Policy & Innovation at Loyola University. The center strives to “strengthen the pathway into law school for students with disabilities.” Hein reflects on her achievements and how the interdisciplinary education she received at Chapman has influenced her journey to becoming a leader and social justice activist.
Environmental Justice: Making a Difference
As part of Engaging the World: Leading the Conversation on Environmental Justice, Dr. Georgiana Bostean
(Environmental Science, Health & Policy) moderated a faculty research panel with Dr. Matthew Ballew (Psychology),
Dr. Jason Douglas (Health Science), and Dr. Richelle Tanner (Environmental Science), where they shared their research on environmental health and environmental justice, and offered suggestions for student activism.
The Men Who Built the Empire State Building
Dr. Glenn Kurtz, presidential fellow at Chapman University, presented a glimpse into his forthcoming book “Lewis Hine and the Men Who Built the Empire State Building." In his lecture, Kurtz told the stories of the previously nameless men who appear in Lewis H. Hine’s famous photographs, taken to document the construction of the famous skyscraper.
My Life As A Cave Diver
The Bensussen Distinguished Lecture in the Arts spotlighted Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer, and film-maker Jill Heinerth. Co-sponsored by Wilkinson College’s
Engaging the World: Leading the Conversation on Environmental Justice
series, Heinerth shared her explorations into extreme environments and never-before-seen ecosystems to advance scientific and geographic knowledge.
Faculty Books: What Happened Was
Dr. Anna Leahy, Professor and Director of Tabula Poetica, published a chapbook titled What Happened Was: Using seven repetitions of “what happened was," Leahy analyzes her experiences of mismatched assumptions and sexual harassment in college and the workplace
in the context of history and present moment.
Career Corner: Video Resumes, A Trending Fad or the Future?
Career Manager Erin Berthon discusses the rising popularity of video resumes for job-seekers and candidates looking for a way to stand out. Video resumes are dynamic tools for showcasing
your skills and creativity, and explaining details about your work or life experience. Erin Berthon shares tips and tricks for creating an effective video resume.
Gift of the Month
As part of its ongoing partnership with Chapman University across several disciplines, the Richard Nixon Foundation in Yorba Linda, California has pledged programmatic, research and financial support for the newly-founded Presidential Studies Program within Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. The Foundation's involvement—combined with the two new recently endowed professorships and an endowed lecture series—has positioned the college to develop a robust and nationally recognized Presidential Studies Program.
Events
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Thursday, December 2 at 6 p.m.
Thursday (December 2) at 6 p.m., join award-winning scholar Bill Tsutsui and Engaging the World: Leading the Conversation on Environmental Justice, for "Godzilla and the Imagination of Anxiety, from Hiroshima to COVID-19" in Beckman Hall Room 404. Tsutsui researches, writes, and speaks widely on Japanese environmental history and popular culture.
Wilkinson Parent Council
Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences is excited to announce the formation of its first-ever Parent Council. If you are interested in drawing upon your professional and personal interests to work with Dean Jennifer Keene and support Wilkinson’s strategic interests, or you would like more information, contact Mary Shockey
Parent Spring Summit
Save the date! From February 8 to February 12, join us for several events, including the annual State of the University Address, presented by Daniele C. Struppa, Tours, Meet the Career Advisors, Faculty Master Classes, and more.
Wilkinson Alumni News
Check out what some of our awesome alumni are doing:
Niki Black ('17, Women's & Gender Studies) was a finalist on France's The Voice. Black is known as the "French Lady Gaga." View one of Niki Black's performances.
Matthew Goldman's ('20, DUAL MA English/MFA Creative Writing) essay, "Caged minds: teaching kids in juvenile hall has its own lessons," based off his experience as a lecturer inside juvenile hall in Orange County, was published in Daily Breeze
Alessandra Rosser ('17, Fine Art, Anthropology) worked as Gallery Manager and Director of Operations at an art handling and logistics company based in Los Angeles. Rosser is currently growing her studio practice full-time.
We want to know what you've been doing with your degree!
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